The Arizona Coyotes have required more than just the normal 60 minutes three times this season. With the most recent instance being yesterday against the Buffalo Sabres. OT hockey is fun, and we have a letter to thank the NHL for it.
Dear NHL,
Thank you, you provide us some of the best moments in all of sports. Especially with your overtime specialty. Created in the 2015-16 season, few people knew what kind of gold mine was being brought into the league with 3 on 3 hockey.
You have your star players on the ice trying to score a goal for 5 minutes straight. With so much open ice you certainly have the sweet spot with 3 on 3 hockey. Yesterday was a prime example of how great 3 on 3 hockey can be.
The Arizona Coyotes have gone to OT 3 times this season. It has ended twice in OT, with a goal by Christian Dvorak against the New York Rangers and a goal by Andre Burakovsky for the Colorado Avalanche.
After losing the game against Colorado in OT the Coyotes learned from their mistakes. You see 3 on 3 is all about strategy. Making sure your best players are on the ice with the puck is key in 3 on 3.
Phil Kessel kept cutting out of the zone to make sure the Coyotes kept the puck, it is a game of possession in 3 on 3 and we love it. Alex Goligoski was seen yesterday boxing out a defender to make sure the Coyotes keep the puck, and it happens all across the league.
Anytime you have a player throw the puck across the ice to a goalie to make sure your team wins the game of keep-away is awesome. Having a game of OT hockey you are in for a lot of chances with so much open ice. It is a beautiful thing.
Just think of yesterday’s game as an example. There was not a single whistle in yesterday’s game against the Sabres in OT, but there were about 10 plus chances. The Buffalo Sabres were credited with just 3 shots on goal in OT, not including their two crossbar shots that almost ended the game. The Coyotes had just 1 shot on goal, but that did not mean it wasn’t entertaining.
Watching the team play for their lives just to get an extra point is amazing. I also love hearing the crowd factor into the game. Yesterday in Buffalo the Sabres crowd let the Coyotes know they were frustrated with their game of keep away. Although it did not end with an OT goal there was some icing on the cake when the Coyotes won in a shoot out.
Nick Schmaltz found a way to put the puck past Carter Hutton in the shoot out. What a way to end the game. Darcy Kuemper‘s play was superb and helped the Coyotes steal a win in Buffalo.
OT is a place for NHL teams to have some fun. It reminds me of street hockey as a kid, where you tried to play keep away and make amazing plays. The NHL is doing just that with our 3 on 3 format.
Thanks for giving us some of the best highlight reels in the league with 3 on 3.
From
The fans of the Arizona Coyotes